On October 10, 1809, the famous Western explorer Meriwether Lewis arrived at the inn of Robert and Priscilla Grinder to stay for the night. Lewis was traveling the famous Natchez Trace on his way to Washington, D.C. Robert was away so Priscilla had to deal with her strange-behaving guest. Lewis was clearly agitated about something and spent supper ranting about himself. When he retired to his cabin, Priscilla could hear him pacing. Late that night, a pistol shot rang out, followed by another. Soon after, a bleeding Lewis appeared at Priscilla’s door, begging for help. Lewis was missing part of his forehead and was so scary looking that Priscilla refused to help him. Later, Lewis’ servants (who had been sleeping in the barn) found him dying and asking for them to finish him off. He died soon after. It seemed an obvious suicide. Lewis was in financial difficulty and was headed for the capital to defend himself against accusations of embezzlement on his famous expedition. He also was suffering from depression and over-drinking. And he apparently had malaria. He had recently written his will. Not all historians believe the official cause of death. Some point out that the Natchez Trace was notorious for outlaws. When his body was exhumed in 1848, a doctor claimed the corpse had a gunshot wound in the back of the head. Even if that were not true, others wonder why a skilled marksman like Lewis could not competently take his own life. One theory floated is that Lewis was assassinated by the shady James Wilkinson, who had preceded Lewis as Governor of the Louisiana Territory. Wilkinson was silencing Lewis before he could report on corruption involving Wilkinson.
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